CONNECTIONCONNECTION

VOLUME VIII SSU E I I

SPRING

‘16

UP, UP AND AWAY: Dr. Marty’s class created a weather balloon to launch a 3D printed version of the FSU Torch. he balloon launched on April 4th and reached a height of 66,709 feet (about 12.5 miles) before parachuting to its inal destination in Jasper, Florida

As a pioneer of online learning, the College

of Communication & Information has been

working hard to integrate online learning into

our degree programs and to provide equivalent

online and oline programs for 20 years. In that

time we have developed many innovative and

high quality online programs.

For example, the Library and Information

Studies online MLIS degree program within

the School of Information prepares students to

work in some of the most diverse and fascinating

professional ields available today. Students can

also complete a Master’s degree in Information

Technology entirely online. Communication

Science and Disorders ofers an online Master’s

degree to prepare graduates for careers in speech language pathology

and an innovative bridge program that helps undergraduates from

other ields make the transition to speech language pathology.

he School of Communication provides extensive undergraduate

course oferings including a certiicate in Hispanic Marketing

Communication as well as graduate programs in Project

Management and Multicultural Marketing Communications.

hese programs make getting a degree from FSU possible

even when students can’t stop what they are doing and move to

Tallahassee. his is critical for a mobile workforce, such as military

personnel, or those constrained to one location, like parents.

Creating quality online programs requires a lot of hard work and

out-of-the-box thinking. Our faculty have made that commitment,

We are proud of our many online graduates and look forward to

meeting the challenges of the next 20 years. •

WE’VE GOT A LOT TO SAY - SEE EXPANDED STORIES ONLINE >> NEWS.CCI.FSU.EDU

Two Decades Later, Online Learning is Stronger than EverDr. Larry Dennis

Dean & Professor, College of Communication & Information

School of Communication alumnus Jayce Hill (B.S. ’12), decided to pursue

two of his biggest interests by choosing two seemingly diferent majors: Cultural

Anthropology and Digital Media Production. Hill has been able to blend his

contrasting interests throughout his career. Today, he works in Honduras with

Filmmakers Without Borders. he organization focuses on bringing ilmmak-

ing and media literacy education to children from underserved communities.

During his time there, he has three goals: to learn how to teach, to learn how to

speak Spanish and to learn how to create ilms. He will wrap up this summer. •

Merging a love of anthropology & film

2 | SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

Communication Alumna Named in Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’

Anisha Singh (B.A. ’09) began her successful law career as soon as

she stepped onto FSU’s campus. In 2006, she heard of a Sikh inmate

who was being transferred to a prison where he would be required

to cut his hair, a violation of his religious rights. She created and

lobbied a resolution to transfer him to a prison where he would

be able to observe his religion. Singh ended her FSU experience

interning for Senator Dave Aronberg and Governor Charlie Crist.

Ater earning her J.D. at the University of Virginia, Singh won a

historic anti-discrimination case against the U.S. Army regarding a

Sikh male who was repeatedly denied acceptance into his university’s

ROTC program. he U.S. Army created a procedure for individuals

to request religious accommodations to join. his case landed her a

place in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Law and Policy. •

McDowell’s Mentorship

Recognized

Brendan Rempert Named

FSU Humanitarian of the Year

Dr. Steve McDowell, Associate Dean and advisor for

students in the Undergraduate

Research Opportunities Program

(UROP), has been awarded the

2016 Undergraduate Research

Mentor Award. McDowell has been mentoring

students through UROP since 2013 and has worked

mostly in analyzing media coverage of conlict and

political events in south Asia. •

Brendan Rempert, Media

Communication Studies student has

been named the FSU Humanitarian

of the Year by President John

hrasher. He received the award for

his work with SaveFirst, FocusFirst,

Global Scholars and Florida

State Alternative Breaks. hrough these organizations

and other campus and non-campus outlets, Rempert

capitalizes on his interest in alleviating poverty and

closing the achievement gap. •

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCE & DISORDERS | 3

Delta Zeta Sorority Donates

$12,620 to L.L. Schendel

Speech & Hearing Clinic

In October, Delta Zeta hosted their irst annual

Homeruns for Hearing. All proceeds beneitted the FSU

Speech and Hearing Clinic as well as the Starkey Hear-

ing Foundation, a non-proit that provides hearing aids

to underprivileged individuals in third world countries.

he Fall philanthropy event featured a homerun derby, a

BBQ, various lawn games and a silent auction sponsored

by the Miami Marlins. At the event, Delta Zeta raised

$12,620, allowing them to be well on their way to com-

pleting their second endowment with the L.L. Schendel

Speech and Hearing Clinic this year. he sorority pre-

sented a check from the money raised at the event to

the School of Communication Science & Disorders in

January. •

Communication Science & Disorders faculty with

Delta Zeta sisters Baylee Wilson & Isa Blanes

Tanya Shores (M.S. Speech-Language Pathology, ’07) has always

felt drawn to help and teach others. Today, she serves as the District

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Administrator for Seminole County

Public Schools. Her days are spent interacting with students and parents,

problem solving with teachers and school administrators and facilitating

solutions to support students throughout the district. She also supervises

several services including speech-language pathology, audiology,

educational interpreting and Pre-K ESE programs. Shores was drawn to

work speciically in a school environment by the value her parents placed

on education and helping others. •

Alumna Tanya Shores leads in ESE Education

FSU Honors Lisa Scott with Distinguished Teacher Award

Dr. Lisa Scott, Director of Clinical Education, has been awarded with the

Distinguished Teacher Award by the Oice of the Provost. he award is given to

faculty who exhibit continued excellence in teaching.

Alumnus Dr. Mario Landera, Assistant Professor of Speech Pathology, recalls Dr.

Scott’s inluence on his life: “I did my senior thesis with her - she was the one who

introduced me to research. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.” •

4 | SCHOOL OF INFORMATION

Ryan Litsey (M.S. ’10) was recently awarded the honorable Movers &

Shakers award for his innovative contributions to the library world. he

alum led the development of Occam’s Reader, a sotware add-on for the

OCLC ILLiad worklow solution that allows academic libraries to “loan”

e-books electronically. Litsey also helped develop the Online Based Inter-

Library Loan Statistical Kit (OBILLSK), which allows for real-time tracking

of inter-library loan transactions and gathers and presents the data in

attractive reports. In the future, Litsey will be exploring ways that the

program can be used for time-limited access to non-circulating items such

as digitized special collections content. •

Alumnus Named in Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers

Dr. Christie Koontz Retires,

25 Years with Florida State

Dr. Christie Koontz of FSU’s

School of Information may

be retiring, but she is still

working hard to contribute

to the future of Florida

State University students.

Dr. Koontz created courses

such as Storytelling for

Information Professionals

and Marketing of Library

and Information Services.

Now, she is giving back with the Christine M. Koontz Fund.

he scholarship fund will help students within the School

of Information earn their degrees and go on to ind success

in the ield of information studies. his spring, she was

awarded a University Graduate Teaching Award for her

dedication to her students. A zealot of the online learning

movement, Koontz will also be attending the 20 Years of

Online Learning event at Disney Epcot this June. •

Join the iSchool in celebrating 20 Years of Online

Learning, June 25th at Disney’s Epcot!

Register at bit.ly/1Mw9EpF.

iSchool Students

Honored at Digitech

he annual Digitech event brings together

students who are innovating in technology

to showcase their work. From the School

of Information, two groups took home

awards for innovation.

COMMU, an app that ofers travelers

an authentic community experience

as recommended by locals, won the

Excellence in Entrepreneurship award.

RESOURCES FOR VETERANS,

a tool to help veterans ind resources

in their area, won the Excellence in

Contribution award.

Top: Christine Nieves, Valeria Rodriguez, Chelsea Schneider, Hallie Lavery, Alissa Ovalle, Natalie Quinchia

Bottom: Carolyn Reoyo and Zaymeen Deen

DEVELOPMENT | 5

What would you like your gift

to do at CCI? How can we

make it unique to you?

In conversations that I have

with donors, this question is the

most important of all. Donors

give to causes that are important

to them, and to organizations

whose missions align with their

philanthropic passions.

Communication Science

& Disorders alumna Doreen

Oyadomari Brown wanted to give

back because of her experience

living in one of the Scholarship

Houses as a student.

he Cavallaro family honored

Ashley Nugent, a dear friend

and Communication student

who passed away too soon by

funding undergraduate student

scholarships with a focus in

Media/Communication studies,

Public Relations and Advertising.

With their passion for

libraries and scientiic research,

iSchool alumna Carol Gill and

her husband Marc set up multi-

disciplinary scholarships that

provide support for students in

CCI and Arts & Sciences and

fund full text science database

subscriptions in the University

Libraries.

hrough SPARK, FSU’s online

giving platform, alumni have

supported various programs that

are important to them such as

V89 College Radio, Debate, WISE,

STARS and many more.

It’s clear that when we listen

to our donors and match their

philanthropic passions with CCI

initiatives that have a special place

in their hearts, they are more likely

to support our students, faculty

and programs.

I hope that Dean Dennis and

I will have the opportunity to

continue these conversations

with many of you in the coming

months. We are in the homestretch

of FSU’s $1 billion “Raise he

Torch” Campaign and we’re more

than halfway to getting there.

CCI is responsible for raising $10

million and through the generosity

of our donors, we have raised 72%

of our College’s goal.

Dr. Gene Sherron, professor-emeritus from the School of

Information, was called to provide scholarships for our students

in Information Technology. This spring, Gene established

the Gene Sherron Endowment, the very first endowment to

support the Information Technology program, which will

celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2017.

W H AT ’ S YO U Rphilanthropic

PA S S I O N ?

MAFÉ BROOKSDirector of Development

‘10s______GISELLE BODDEN (B.A. ’12)

is working as a Media Planning

Coordinator at Discovery

Communications on shows that are

broadcast in Latin America.

COURTNEY DURAN (B.S. ’11) is

working as a Senior Consultant at Booz

Allen Hamilton in Washington, D.C.

AMINA RESHEIDAT (B.S. ’13) is

working as the Associate Director of

Resource Development at PACE Center

for Girls, Inc.

MORGAN L. MCCORD (B.S. ’13) joined

the Florida Department of Economic

Opportunity as Press Secretary.

JUAN GOMEZ (B.S. ’15) is working

with Georgia Pacific Professional as a

Marketing Manager.

KARYN BARBER (B.A. ’07, M.A. ’11)

recently joined the City of Palm Bay

as their Community Information

Coordinator and Public Information

Officer.

TYLER BRADLEY (B.A. ’13) is working

as a Social Media Manager at Pitchfork

in New York City.

CAMERON DANIEL (B.S. ’11, M.S.

’13) is working as a Sales Planner at

Pandora.

MORIAH MCLAUGHLIN (B.A. ’15) is

working as an Associate Negotiator at

Mindshare in New York City.

GINA OVIEDO-MARTINEZ (M.S. ‘10) is

working for Hillsborough County Public

Libraries as a Senior Librarian.

NORA BERTOLAET (B.S. ‘11) is

working for the Florida State University

as the Digital Content Producer.

ANNIE SADLER (B.S. ‘11) is working at

a family-owned construction business

in Colorado for its in-house IT and

graphic design departments.

‘00s______MARIA GEBHARDT (M.S. ’09) is

working as the Manager of Integrated

Marketing Communications and Social

Media for Broward County Public

Schools.

AMANDA GREEN (B.A. ’00) is working

as the Associate Director for the

Healthy Schools Program with the

Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

NICOLE DIAL (B.A. ’06) is working as

a University Relations Representative

at DreamWorks Animation in Glendale,

California.

CHRIS CREEL (B.S. ’01, M.S. ’03) is

working at Lyft in San Francisco as Sr.

Online Marketing Manager.

KRIS BARTON (B.A. ’00, M.A. ’02,

Ph.D. ’07) recently published an edited

collection of academic essays on the

television series Arrested Development.

MARIN DELL (MLIS ’05, Spec. ‘07)

started a new position as Head of

Digital and Electronic Services at Texas

Tech School of Law Library.

ANISHA SINGH (B.A. ’09) was

named on Forbes “30 Under 30” for

Law and Policy. Her work with anti-

discrimination cases against the U.S.

Army earned her the award.

MARIO LANDERA, AuD (B.S. ’04)

has been promoted to Assistant

Professor at the University of Miami’s

Department of Otolaryngology, Division

of Speech Pathology.

SHANON IRISH (B.S. ’04) is working

as a Coordinating Producer and Editor

for “Inside the HEAT” and recently won

her fifth Emmy Award.

SUSANNAH WESLEY (B.S. ’05) is

working as the Senior Vice President of

Edelman Detriot.

MICHELLE KELLY (B.A. ’07) is working

as Vice President of Client Services at

Hawkins International PR in New York

City.

JOE FERRIS (B.S. ‘04) is working for

AT&T as the Principal - Technology

Security Engineer as part of the Global

Customer Security Services (GCSS)

team.

AMY GRAHAM (B.S. ‘07) is working as

a Deputy Communications Director at

the U.S. Senate.

CEDRIC NABE (B.S. ‘08) is working

as a Senior Manager at Deloitte in

Switzerland.

‘90s______TIMOTHY K. GIORDANO (B.S. ’98),

Principal at Next Impact Ventures,

has been appointed to the Board of

Advisors of The AAT Project (America’s

Amazing Teens).

KARA (MOCK) ADDY (B.S. ’91)

recently joined the University of

South Carolina in a newly-created

position, Executive Director, Donor

Communications and Stewardship.

6 | ALUMNI

CLASS NOTES

KIM POLACEK (B.S. ’98) is the

Public Relations Account Services

Coordinator at Moffitt Cancer Center,

after years of working in television news

production throughout Florida.

TRACI (SPRIGGS) MORENO, PhD

(B.S. ’95) serves as the Director of

Mental Health Services at the Antelope

Valley Community Clinic in Lancaster,

CA.

MILTON PARRIS JR. (B.S. 91) is

employed with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue

as a firefighter. He also serves as the

Alumni President for Miami Norland Sr.

High School and is the National Board

Co-Chair for the FSU Black Alumni.

DIANE HOWARD (Ph.D. ’99) is

excelling in her career as a painter and

recently hosted a successful exhibit in

New York City featuring her paintings of

the Arctic.

MEREDITH DASILVA (B.S. ’96) is

working as Director of Executive

Operations at VISIT FLORIDA and was

named by the Tallahassee Democrat as

one of “2016’s 25 Women You Need to

Know.”

CAROL RUSSO (M.S. ‘99) is working

as a Senior Community Library

Manager at Northwest Regional Library

in Coral Springs, FL.

KIRK ENGLEHARDT (B.S. ‘94) is

working as the Vice Chancellor for

Marketing and Communication at UT

Chattanooga.

‘80s______EDWARD RODRIGUEZ (M.S. ’83) is

President of the Gulf Coast Chamber

based in Gulf Shores, which was

awarded Chamber of the Year for North

America in 2015.

THERESSA VIRGIL (B.S. ’85) is the

Senior Director of Creative Services for

the UP TV cable network in Atlanta, GA.

JEFF MACHARYAS (B.S. ’83) earned

his Master of Science Degree in

Cybersecurity and Computer Forensics

from Utica College, August 2015.

MICHELLE UBBEN (M.A. ’88) is

working as COO at Sachs Media Group

and was named by PR News as one of

the top women in Public Relations.

ROBIN SAFLEY (B.A. ’85) is working

as the Executive Director of the Florida

Association of Food Banks.

‘70s______ANN MCGEE (B.A. ’70, M.A. ’71) is

working as the President of Seminole

State College and was recently

presented with the Chief Executive

Leadership Award.

RICK RICE Artist and educator

Rick Rice passed away on

January 17, 2016. He earned his

BFA in Graphic Design from FSU

in 1974 and went on to teach at

Lively Tech. He then built the

graphic design program at TCC

and later redesigned the TMH

logo. Rice ended his career

teaching online at FSU.

BRETT JULA (M.S. '11)

Integrated Marketing

Communication alumnus Brett

Jula passed away on February

10, 2016 following an automobile

accident. He was working as a

district coordinator for Boston

Beer Company in St. Louis,

Missouri. While at FSU, Jula was

a sports editor for both

FSView and the Florida

Flambeau and the sports

director for V89.

IN MEMORIAM

SUBMIT YOURCLASS NOTE

Send your update, class year and degree to kmullen@

fsu.edu. Please note not all updates may be printed.

Several years ago one of my close family

members was diagnosed with ALS and I came

to an even greater appreciation of the great

work by the School of Communication Science

& Disorders. Like my fellow board members,

the more we learned about the College’s great

work, the more we want to serve, and recognize

the privilege of working side-by-side with like-

minded passionate people.

If you’re interested in learning more about how

you can support the College or if you should

consider joining the Board, feel free to contact

Mafé Brooks at mafe.brooks@cci.fsu.edu.

For ten years I have had the honor of serving on CCI’s

Leadership Board. It is comprised of engaged, outstanding

professionals, some of whom are not alumni but who

believe in and support the work of the College with a

passion I’ve rarely seen elsewhere. he entire group shares

their time and talents promoting the College, raises funds,

and helps fulill the mission of the College. he board’s

primary role is to support the Dean in his vision for the

College of Communication & Information while doing

everything we can to support the students, faculty and

administration.

I irst became active because of my interest in public

relations but quickly learned that CCI is one of the most

important colleges at FSU because of the number of areas

that touch so many people’s lives. In addition to educating

some of the best students in the country, the three schools

that make up the College are conducting important

research and making a diference in all walks of life.

Nonproit OrgU.S. Postage

PAID

TALLAHASSEE, FLPERMIT NO. 55

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITYCollege of Communication & InformationP.O. Box 3062651Tallahassee, FL 32306-2651

@FSUCCI

/CCIFSU

/CCIFSU

William Mills, IIIChairman, FSU CCI Leadership Board

hy we Serve

Connect